The Bud Bowl will return to the Super Bowl this year, and the Bud Bus has arrived in Columbus.
Twenty-one-year-old bar-hoppers in the campus area can now get a free ride to the downtown Arena District and back to campus every Thursday and Friday night.
The “S.S. Bud,” or Safe Shuttle Bud, is a free shuttle bus sponsored by Columbus Distributing, the local Anheuser-Busch distributor.
Kim Carmine, the marketing director for Columbus Distributing said the idea arose because company members wanted to give students a safe ride to an area in which they could do something fun.
Two 25-person buses will run continuously from 13th Avenue and High Street to various drop-off points in the Arena District along Neil Avenue, Vine, North Front and Park streets.
The pickup hours from campus to the Arena District are 9:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. The return hours from the Arena District to campus are 10:30 p.m.-2:15 a.m.
“We have put a lot of time and effort into this, and we want students to not have to worry about driving to the Arena District and then finding a place to park,” Carmine said. “People can even drive down and — if they find they have had too much to drink — can take the bus back to campus.”
Before the Bud Bus was up and running, a lot of pieces of the puzzle had to come together.
“We had to get the buses, find hosts for the buses to check identification because it is required to ride the bus, and get signs for the buses,” Carmine said.
Trial runs took place in November and December to work out kinks and to check the routes.
The Arena District is home to bars and restaurants such as BD’s Mongolian Barbeque, Black & Blue, Buca di Beppo, Margarita Mama’s, Frog, Bear & Wild Boar Bar, Gordon Biersch and more.
The area is also host to entertainment such as The Arena Grand Theatre, PromoWest Pavilion and Nationwide Arena.
“More advertising really needs to be done so more people are aware,” said Dave Allbrooks, general manager of the Frog, Bear & Wild Boar Bar. He said the bus is a great idea, but he would like to see a better turnout.
“Fliers and posters would really get people downtown to a nice area to have a good time. I also think once the weather gets nicer, more people will take advantage of the free ride.”
The rioting that continues to plague the off-campus area is still on the minds of many.
“We want to help the situation and give the students the opportunity to get away from campus and have something fun to do,” Carmine said.
Levi Wittenmyer, a junior in finance, said when the bars left campus there was no place for people to go.
“My friends and I don’t go to campus bars because they are so packed,” Wittenmyer said. “The bus is one of the greatest ideas I have heard and a good way to avoid riots.”
Beth Miller, a senior in textiles and clothing, said she would definitely take advantage of the bus ride.
“I don’t go downtown because I don’t want to have to worry about getting there and then finding a place to park,” Miller said.
“With the bus, people won’t have to consider a designated driver, finding parking or the temptation of driving drunk,” he said.
